The Gentlemen's Hour - Softcover

Winslow, Don

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0434019259 ISBN 13: 9780434019250

Publisher: William Heinemann, 2009

Synopsis

Boone Daniels, the most laid-back of private investigators, gathers with his surfing buddies on Pacific Beach, California as per usual. There's no surf to speak of, but the Dawn Patrol are out in force anyway...it's what they do. Having no work at the moment, and no real reason to go to the office other than to see the red ink getting redder, Boone sticks around for the second shift on the daily surfing clock - the Gentlemen's Hour, frequented by the older veteranos and successful entrepreneurs - and ends up taking on a hated matrimonial case. But that soon becomes the least of his worries.

When The Sundowner, symbolic icon of the San Diego surf scene, sees a dispute between a young surfer and a member of the territorial Rockpile Crew - a dispute that ends in murder - the painful truth that violence is seeping into the surf community can no longer be ignored. So when lawyer Petra Hall, who has a thing with Boone, asks him to help the defence on that particular case, Boone knows he'll be courting outrage from the community...and from the rest of the Dawn Patrol.

As his closest friendships begin to fray, and he digs deeper into the murkier side of surfing culture, Boone sees his two cases overlap in unexpected ways and finds himself struggling to stay afloat as the water gets deeper and deeper...and more deadly.

About this title

Review:

"[Winslow's] combination of social commentary and breathless action packs a wallop." --"Kirkus" (starred review)

"His prose drips with authentic detail, capturing the seedy side of the San Diego surfing scene as well as the beauty of sundown on the southern California coast. Even if you don't know the difference between hanging ten and a "gremmie" Winslow's novel will have you craving waves." --Christian DuChateau, CNN

"[A] down-and-dirty dip into the treacherous social currents of Southern California . . . sketched in primary colors. . . . But, as with Southern California's supposedly solid ground and its potential to crumble and collapse, there is movement beneath the surface. "The Gentlemen's Hour" could be called a beach read, but it gives you plenty to think about even after you've packed up the car and headed for home." --Tom Nolan, "The""Wall Street Journal"

"Escape at its finest . . . Smart and fast-moving . . . Winslow produces the large cast of characters with panache and delight. Pick it up and watch out for that undertow." --Alan Cheuse, "The Dallas Morning News"

"Winslow hits the perfect balance here between surf and substance, enough of the latter to give his characters some gristle but not so much as to keep his story from being as unabashedly enjoyable as a perfect day at the beach." --"Booklist" (starred review)

"I've long been impressed by Don Winslow's novels. . . . He's the real deal, and" The Gentlemen's Hour" is yet another sensational foray into the underbelly of San Diego with laidback PI Boone Daniels." --James Ellroy, "The Guardian" Books-of-the Year round-up

"This sequel to Winslow's "Dawn Patrol" is more than just a snappy summertime thriller written with hip surfer dude dialog. It's a thoughtful cultural commentary about an iconic coastal community with too much money, constant sunshine, and terminal greed." --"Library Journal "(starred review)

"The laidback calm of the Southern California surfing community of Pacific Beach boils over violently in Winslow's fast-paced sequel to "The Dawn Patrol". . . . Winslow ensures there's nothing 'gentlemanly' about the action." --"Publishers Weekly"

"The Gentlemen's Hour" is yet another sensational foray into the underbelly of San Diego with laidback PI Boone Daniels." --James Ellroy, "The Guardian"

"The Gentlemen s Hour" is yet another sensational foray into the underbelly of San Diego with laidback PI Boone Daniels. James Ellroy, "The Guardian""

Book Description:

The new novel from Don Winslow, author of The Dawn Patrol

About this edition

• Publisher: William Heinemann
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0434019259
• ISBN 13: 9780434019250
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336